Had a great review from a satisfied customer - "2 perfect births and Mandy to thank. she is a superb teacher and a confidence-inspiration."
I have such a rewarding job ! please contactwww.fit2drop.net if you want to find out more.

Please read this inspiring Birth story from one of my students attending my classes at http://fit2drop.net/
 
 I was due to give birth around the 25th of August and we had chosen to give birth in Royal Berks, like we did for our daughter 3 years ago. On the 10th, as I was starting to prepare food for my husband Andy's birthday, I started to feel tensions in my tummy, it must have been 2pm. I first thought I had caught a bug but when the tension came and went regularly I started to wonder. My daughter was home with me but my husband was at work. I called him to let him know that I thought I was in labour, so he left work (in London.. We live in Berkshire). I called my mother in law too as she lives nearby and she came over within minutes.
 The surges started to get stronger and closer but were not really regular, so it was hard to see how far gone I was. With my daughter panicking to see me breathing differently, my mother in law trying to calm her down and my teenage nephew who happened to be on holiday at my MIL at the time, I found it hard to relax but the surge breathing helped me greatly nonetheless. 
 When I thought the surges were 15 minutes apart I called Royal Berks to let them know that we would be over soon (my husband wasn't home yet) and they told me that they couldn't take me in because the maternity ward was closed. I then asked if I could go to Heatherwood, but I was told that I wouldn't be taken there either as Wexham Park was also full. Then the lady said that she would check with Frimley Park and would call me back within the hour. I must admit that at that stage I panicked and forgot all about hypnobirthing. Thankfully that's exactly when Andy came home. He took over everything, grabbed my bag and started to organise our departure. Royal Berks called back within minutes to confirm that Frimley Park was ok to assess me. So off we went.
 We dropped my daughter and the others off at my mother in law's and went on our way. Andy was brilliant, all the time calming me down and reminding me about the breathing, reminding me not to look at the traffic and to close my eyes and concentrate on the breathing. Looking back, I should have kept a copy of the hypnobirthing CD in the car as it would have helped me further. 
 We eventually made it to the hospital in Frimley, I was assessed straight away (when we eventually found the maternity ward) and they told me I was 7cm dilated. 
 That's when Andy took the music out. The second it started to play, I felt myself relax and got back into control quickly. By then the surges were coming fast but I was keeping on top of them. All afternoon I'd been standing during the surges, but when they asked me to lie down to assess me, I couldn't believe how much stronger the surges felt, they were much much harder to breathe through. As soon as I stood up again, the surges were much easier to deal with.
 As I was settling myself down on my knees, rocking on a birthing ball (very comfortable at that stage, time was about 6.30pm I think), the midwife told me that the pool was available if I wanted to use it. I'd never considered having a water birth only because I was afraid to be disappointed on the day if someone was already in there, so when she offered, I gladly said yes straight away. She went to prepare the pool and left me with the birthing ball for a few minutes. When she came back to advise me to go to the loo before getting in the pool, I had to ask Andy to help me go there, the surges were getting strong. 
 I made it to the side of the pool just as I started to push. One strong push. I managed somehow to climb into the pool and was kneeling down in the water when I pushed again, and I felt the baby's head come out! I only had time to make myself a little bit more comfortable in the water (still kneeling), and I pushed again, and our son Luke came out. The midwife barely had time to roll her sleeves to catch him.
 I cried with relief and joy. They left us both in the water for a long while, with Luke on my chest for a lovely first cuddle. So at the end, he was born 3 full weeks early on his Dad's birthday. 
 I never had a chance to try the third stage breathing techniques but the surge breathing helped me greatly and made the surges so much shorter and easier to deal with. 
 This was a magical experience, despite all the stress at home before we left and I will recommend Hypnobirthing to all my friends.
 Andy and I are thanking you with all our heart for your class and advice. Luke is settling down well and has started smiling. He's now 2 months old and already knows what he wants. He is truly lovely and he likes to look at his sister making silly faces for him :-) 

Read this great review of my courses!

From Emma in Woking
" Mandy's hypno birthing session was fantastic. I was very nervous (scared) about giving birth. My mum suggested to try something like this to help my confidence and comfort me. So got in contact with Mandy and started the sessions. I took so much from it and had the most amazing experience through labour which I know Iwouldn't have been able to do without her guidance and support. Hypno birthing was for me just to build confidence, take only what you need from it, there was no pressure to follow it step by step. Mandy was very open to helping each mum/ couple on their own journey. Which gave me so much confidence that I wasn't scared I was aware what might happen and was able to deal with it through the hypno birthing strategies. Thank you Mandy for an amazing experience, I recommend this to all my friends."http://fit2drop.net/

HypnoBirthing uses imagery to help you give birth without drugs and reduce intervention.

 Here's some really helpful imagery of a rose opening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnbMYzdjuBs
Great to recall when HypnoBirthing ! For more ideas like this go to /http://fit2drop.net/

NHS push for Home Birth and Midwife Led Units !!

Check out this very exciting breaking news taken from the BBC website- this comes a week after my local hospital Asford and St Peters NHS trust opens a Midwife Led Unit called The Abbey Birth Centre.https://www.facebook.com/pages/Abbey-Birth-Centre/138810896289504?fref=ts


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27373543

for more info go to http://fit2drop.net/

HypnoBirthing

I have been teaching HypnoBirthing since December 2008. I am passionate about this philosophy and method of childbirth though unfortunately not through personal experience ( it wasn't heard of in this country when my own children were born) but through my work as a midwife I have witnessed its many benefits.

HypnoBirthing teaches you the art of using your own natural birthing instincts. With HypnoBirthing, you will not be in a trance or a sleep state. You will be aware and fully in control, but profoundly relaxed. 

Through my classes you will learn the techniques for achieving a satisfying, relaxing and stress free method of birthing. You will learn how to make your body  release endorphins (a natural relaxant similar to morphine) and thus lessen or even eliminate the need for medication.

It is fear that causes pain and tension in childbirth. Through self hypnosis, special breathing and visualization HypnoBirthing teaches you to release all prior programming about birth, how to trust your body and work with it and how to free yourself of harmful emotions that lead to this pain-causing fear and unyielding muscles.

You will be fascinated as you view HypnoBirthing films, showing labouring mothers,awake,alert and in good humour as they experience the kind of gentle birth that you too can know when you are free of the fear that causes pain and tension.

 The course is run over four classes held on midweek nights and/or at weekends depending upon couples' needs. It is helpful to have completed the class when you still have a month to go. In special circumstances classes can be held over a weekend for example when time is of an essence but this is by no means ideal. The most benefit is to be gained when there is a chance in between classes for couples to practice and iron out any difficulties with techniques at the next class. The earliest I would recommend is after your 20 week scan. I offer follow-up support over the phone and via email for all my couples paying for a full course and always enjoy visiting the new family after the birth and to hear all about it! I'm sure that when I'm having a cuddle with the newborn that they recognize the sound of my voice! I particularly enjoy hearing news and to see photos of my HypnoBabies many months later.

MANY FAMILIES JOIN ME ON FACEBOOK SO THEY CAN SHARE THEIR BIRTH STORIES AND POST BABY PICTURES AND CONTACT EACH OTHER.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/532958313393532/

If you want to see some amazing HypnoBirths then check some of these out on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/HypnobirthingVideos

I have also tweeted some recently that I found interesting, follow me on @Fit2Drop_UK

You can also find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midwifemandymole 

Or my website: fit2drop.net 

Why go to Birth Preparation Classes?

Expecting a baby can be exciting, often confusing and sometimes stressful time for a pregnant woman, her partner and family. Being able to talk about any concerns, ask questions and find solutions in the company of others going through the same experience can be really helpful. Finding out what is likely to happen during the birth and in the immediate weeks following delivery can really boost your confidence and help you to embrace the process of becoming parents. My antenatal classes are designed with these things in mind.

Antenatal classes not only help you focus on your pregnancy and forthcoming labour and birth, but they also have important social function - they're a great place to meet other parents-to-be. For many women becoming a mother can be a very isolating experience, especially today when women work so late in pregnancy, some may not even have any social contact with neighbours. It is so important to have a support network of others going through exactly the same experiences and this is also a factor in preventing post-natal depression . A condition which affects more than 10% of women. For this reason I try to place couples into groups where they will meet other local parents expecting a baby in roughly the same month.

It is also helpful to have continued support in the post-natal period from a parentcraft teacher in your own home. This can take the form of telephone or email consultation or a home visit. I offer this support to help new parents cope with the physical aspects of recovering from the birth, advice on baby care and support to establish breastfeeding and routines.

https://www.facebook.com/midwifemandymole 

@Fit2Drop_UK